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Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula in 10 to 12 Days
The Yucatan Peninsula is a region that encompasses three Mexican states: Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Campeche. It is known for its stunning beaches, gorgeous cenotes, ancient Mayan ruins, vibrant culture and amazing food. If you are looking for your next winter escape destination the Yucatan Peninsula is definitely deserves a space on your bucket list! Have a look on how I planned my trip to the Yucatan...
To save for later: The national currency in Mexico is MXN or Mexican Pesos - 100 MXN are about 5,00£
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Day 1 - Cancun
Start your Mexico Trip by exploring Mercado 28. It’s a vibrant outdoor market located in downtown Cancun known for its colourful stalls selling a variety of handmade crafts, souvenirs, and especially delicious street food like tacos and empanadas. After lunch go on a snorkelling or diving tour at the MUSA Underwater Museum, enjoy a nice boat ride through the Mangroves reaching all the way out to sea while you reach the snorkelling platform where you will then get ready to swim and enjoy the submerged sculpture place in different areas between Cancun and Isla Mujeres (an island off the cost of Cancun) which serve as an artificial reef for marine life. I must say it was nice seeing a Barracuda watching TV with one of the statues around there!
As it is the first day in Mexico, spend the rest of the afternoon/evening in Playa Delfines and have a traditional Mexican dinner back in Cancun city center.
Overnight in Cancun
Day 2 - Isla Mujeres
Get ready to explore one of the most beautiful islands in the whole of Mexico, Isla Mujeres. Ferries depart every 30 minutes from Puerto Juarez and it takes 15-20 minutes for the crossing. You will find the Ultramar Ferries booking site here. Once in Isla Mujeres, the Ferry Port is right in the city center so I would suggest exploring the beautiful Playa Norte and have a nice walk around the little Pueblo. After lunch make sure to head over towards Punta Sur. There is a little Open air Museum that showcases the rich heritage of the ancient Mayan civilization. The Museum features a collection of sculpture that provides insights into the Mayan way of life and an archaeological site which includes a temple of the goddess Ixchel. It is set in a beautiful natural park with stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and Cancun..
The southern part of the island is also ideal for swimming and snorkeling, with the Garrafon Park offering a range of activities such as zip-lining, kayaking, and biking through the jungle. Lockers and a buffet lunch are included in the ticket price. The park also offers Dolphin encounters if interested. If you are thinking of participating in a Dolphin encounter there is more info here. We loved the experience and the dolphins were well cared for. One advantage of booking this tour is that it includes entry to Garrafon Park and a ferry departing from Cancun to Isla Mujeres at 9:00am, which takes you directly to the park instead of the ferry port. Therefore, I would suggest you visit the northern part of the island during the afternoon if you choose this option.
To visit the island, you could rent a golf cart for the day for about 75 USD if interest. You will find rental shops all over the northern part of the island by the Ultramar ferry port where the main residential area is.
Overnight in Cancun
Day 3 - Playa del Carmen, Rio Secreto and Playa Akumal
Wake up nice and early and pick up a rental car and start driving towards Playa del Carmen. Once there, visit the town and have a nice walk around ‘La quinta Avenida’ for some traditional food and shopping. In the afternoon, book a tour for Rio Secreto, a stunning and extensive system of caves and underground rivers that were formed millions of years ago. We were speechless! Also, as the Mayans considered cenotes and underground rivers sacred, you will also get a quick Mayan ceremony before entering Rio Secreto. If you still have some time to spare, visit Chaak Tun, a beautiful, enclosed cenote.
Overnight in Playa del Carmen
Day 4 - Playa Akumal, Casa Cenote and Tulum
Spend the morning in Playa Akumal for some great snorkelling. Playa Akumal is a popular place for sea turtles so you might end up swimming with one! After lunch, visit Casa Cenote where you might have the chance of meeting friendly crocodile Panchito. For the evening head over towards Tulum. After checking in to your hotel, I would suggest a nice evening walk around Tulum Pueblo where you can find some delicious street food at very convenient prices. Tip: avoid the main street area as prices are very high there.
Overnight in Tulum
Day 5 - Tulum Ruins and Beach Area
Start your day at the Tulum Ruins, expect to be here around 4 to 5 hours and after lunch head over towards Tulum Beach. If you are an instagram fan, then this is the perfect area as there are hundreds of amazing photo opportunities in here. This is also where you will find the famous sculpture of ‘Ven a la Luz’ but keep in mind there is a huge queue so go very early or late in the afternoon. If you are interested in some night life then the Tulum Beach area is the perfect place for you (prices are not so cheap around the beach area though). If you are looking for a relaxed evening then maybe head over to Tulum Pueblo again for the evening.
Overnight in Tulum
Day 6 - Cenote Dos Ojos, Cenote Calavera and Temazcal Ceremony
Cenote Day! Spend a day exploring the beautiful cenotes around the Tulum area starting with one of the most mind blowing one: Cenote Dos Ojos. Doj Ojos means two eyes as the cenote features two entrances connected by an underground tunnel. The water in Doj Ojos is crystal clear and rock formations are stunning, making it perfect for snorkeling and especially diving if you are a certified diver. Find out the dedicated blog post on how it is to dive in Cenote Dos Ojos in my blog soon (subscribe to the newsletter so you won’t miss it!). Last but not least, the funniest one in my opinion, Cenote Calavera. This cenote is actually a very small one and is formed by 3 main openings. You can easily jump down from the big opening as well as from one of the smaller ones. It really feels like you're jumping into the underworld when looking down and it’s very fun but be very careful as people have sustained severe injuries as they had not been careful enough while jumping or they have jumped from the smallest opening of all three hitting their heads on the stone. I talked more about this, including which opening it is safe to jump from, on my blog post about cenotes in Mexico here.
If you would like to make sure you book yourself in for a traditional Mayan Temazcal Ceremony for the day.
Overnight in Tulum
Day 7 - Coba and Valladolid
Wake up nice and early and make your way to the Coba ruins to visit the archeological site and the stunning jungle surroundings. In the afternoon continue towards Valladolid. You will find lots of small villages along the way so make sure to stop somewhere for an authentic Mexican lunch.
Once in Valladolid, check into your hotel and enjoy Valladolid’s late afternoon and evening vibe in the main square and city center.
Overnight in Valladolid
Day 8 - Valladolid and Close by Cenotes
Start your day slowly and enjoy the calm of Valladolid in the morning before all the tourist buses begin to arrive. Have a relaxing walk along the colourful streets of the town and go visit the Church on the main square if you didn’t do so on the previous day. For the rest of the day have a dip in one or more cenotes to escape the heat of central Yucatan.
There are mainly 6 cenotes I would suggest you visit in the area of Valladolid, the first 3 are about 45 minutes drive north from Valladolid: Cenote SAC AUA, Cenote Aqua Dulce and Palomitas.
The other 3 are very close to the city: Cenote Zaci (practically in the city center), Cenote Oxman and cenote Suytun and Kaapeh (in the same area). The first 3 are much more quiet as you won’t go there unless you have a rental car due to the long drive, while the others might get a little busier as they are very close to Valladolid.
The area around Valladolid is the one with the highest number of cenotes and it is really difficult to choose which one to visit and which one not to, especially if you fell in love with cenotes like we did. You just want to see them all but you don’t have enough time to do so (if you do, dedicate an extra day to visit a few more cenotes around Valladolid). Each cenote is unique and beautiful in its own way.
Overnight in Valladolid
Day 9 - Chichen Itza and Cenote Ik Kil
Wake up nice and early and make your way to Chichen Itza to avoid super long queues at the entrance and to find a parking space for your car! Buy the ticket at the ticket counter in Chichen Itza, it is much cheaper that way (official cost is 29 USD). Expect to spend about 3 to 4 hours to explore the archeological site. Once finished, visit Cenote Ik Kil which is about a 10 minutes drive from Chichen Itza. Believe me, after 4 hours of walking in the sun, you will need it. Even though Ik Kil tends to get crowded due to its vicinity to a main tourist site, it is truly worth a visit. There is also a restaurant for you to have lunch at cenote Ik Kil. Once down, make your way to the enchanting Pueblo of Izamal, also known as the yellow town of Mexico.
Overnight in Izamal
Day 10 - Izamal
Spend the day visiting Izamal and its Mayan Pyramids. Izamal is a beautiful colonial town in the Yucatan Peninsula, known as the "City of Three Cultures" due to its Mayan, Spanish, and contemporary influences and also as “El Pueblo Amarillo” due to its iconic yellow buildings and cobblestone streets. There are three main Mayan Pyramids in Izamal. The most famous and well preserved one is the Kinich Kakmo Pyramid, with stunning views of the town. Entrance is free but it’s not taken care of as well as in other archeological sites.
Overnight in Izamal
Day 11 - Back to Cancun for Departure or continue towards Merida and Rio Coloradas if you have a few more available days
Say goodbye to Izamal, before starting your long drive back to Cancun through the jungle, ready for departure.
If you do have some more time in Mexico I would suggest adding at least 2 days to visit Merida (1 hour drive from Izamal) and the archeological site of Uzmal, and also 2 more days to drive all the way to Rio Coloradas the famous pink lakes of Yucatan (3 hours drive from Merida).
In the Yucatan there are many more amazing places to visit such as Bacalar, a lagoon with the most beautiful waters, also known as the Maldives of Mexico; the island of Cozumel and Holbox and the list goes on and on... Therefore, do some little search and list out your priorities if you don’t have lots of time. On the other hand, if you do let's say about a month then make sure to add them all in!
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